DISCLAIMER: PW's dosage information is gathered from users and resources for educational purposes only. It is not a recommendation and should be verified with other sources for accuracy.

5F-PB-22 (1-pentyfluoro-1H-indole-3-carboxylic acid 8-quinolinyl ester)[1][2] is a synthetic cannabinoid[3] and agonist of the cannabinoid receptors which produces predominantly sedating subjective effects somewhat similar to that of cannabis. There is very little information regarding the pharmacology of this compound within the scientific literature. Despite this, however, it has been sold as a grey area research chemical through online vendors.

Cannabinoids are commonly smoked or vaporized to achieve a quick onset of effects and rapid offset. 5F-PB-22 is orally active when dissolved in a lipid, which can increase the duration significantly. Like other cannabinoids, it is insoluble in water but dissolves in ethanol and lipids.

Chemistry

5F-PB-22, or quinolin-8-yl 1-pentyfluoro-1H-indole-3-8-carboxylate, is a synthetic indole cannabinoid as it contains a substituted core indole structure. This indole core is shared with other cannabinoid substances including PB-22, JWH-018, and AM2201. 5F-PB-22 is an ether with formula R-O-R', which can be understood as a substance with two sub-units joined through an oxygen bridge. The indole group of 5F-PB-22 is substituted at R5 with a fluoropentyl chain, a substitution shared with 5F-AKB48. Additionally, the indole core is substituted at R3 with a carboxylic acid group. The terminal oxygen of this carboxylic acid is bonded through an ether bond to a quinoline group at location R8 of the heterocycle.

Pharmacology

Although this substance has not been formally studied, from analysis of the structure, it is presumed that 5F-PB-22 has a similar binding profile to that of other cannabinoids and matches many of the in vivo properties of Δ9-THC. However, the role of these interactions and how they result in the cannabinoid high experience continues to remain elusive.

Subjective effects

The effects listed below are based upon the subjective effects index and personal experiences of PsychonautWikicontributors. The listed effects should be taken with a grain of salt and will rarely (if ever) occur all at once, but heavier doses will increase the chances and are more likely to induce a full range of effects. Likewise, adverse effects become much more likely on higher doses and may include serious injury or death.

Physical effects

Spontaneous physical sensations - The "body high" of 5F-PB-22 can be described as a warm and soft pleasurable, all-encompassing tingling sensation that spreads over the body. It maintains a consistent presence that quickly rises with the onset and hits its limit once the peak has been reached before immediately dissipating.

Sedation - Generally, the effects on the user's energy levels are very sedating. This encourages one to relax, lie down, and (at higher doses) fall asleep. It produces strong sedative effects that can be described as on par with JWH-018 and more sedating when compared to THC, JWH-073, THJ-018, AM-2201, or 5F-UR-144 but less than that of 5F-AKB48.

Motor control loss - This substance causes a partial to moderate suppression of motor control which intensifies proportional to dose, but rarely results in a complete inability to walk and perform basic movements.

Appetite enhancement - As with many other cannabinoids, 5F-PB-22 causes an increase in appetite[5], known colloquially as "the munchies" in popular American and United Kingdom culture. Clinical studies and survey data have found that cannabis increases food enjoyment and interest in food.[6] This is thought to be due to the way in which endocannabinoids in the hypothalamus activate cannabinoid receptors that are responsible for maintaining food intake.[7]

Dehydration- This is known colloquially as "cotton mouth" in popular American and United Kingdom culture.

Vasodilation - Cannabinoids appear to decrease blood pressure by dilating the blood vessels and increasing blood flow throughout the body. The arteries in the eyeball expand from the decreased blood pressure and the heart rate increases to compensate for the reduction in pressure.

Changes in gravity - 5F-PB-22, like other cannabinoids, is capable of causing vertigo with which the environment appears to be spinning or oscillating. At moderate doses, it can spontaneously induce the sensation of falling, which can be overwhelming and uncomfortable. The propensity of this is greatly reduced and eliminated in proportion to tolerance.

Visual effects

Geometry - As reported with other cannabinoids, 5F-PB-22 can produce closed eye visuals at moderate doses, which can escalate into visual distortions such as a ripples in the field of vision upon continuous administration. Within users who also regularly use psychedelics, it is capable of inducing these consistently in a visual style which seems to be an averaged out depiction of all the psychedelics one has used within the past. These rarely extend beyond level 4 geometry and are considered to be mild, fine, small and zoomed out but brighter and better defined than the geometry experienced with cannabis. They are not as defined as other synthetic cannabinoids such as JWH-018 or JWH-073.

Cognitive effects

Emotion enhancement - The most prominent cognitive component of cannabinoids is the way in which they enhance the emotions one is already feeling proportional to dose. This can result in euphoria, extreme laughter, and increased immersion within tasks and activities, or it can result in anxiety and paranoia depending on the user's current state of mind.

Psychosis - The prolonged usage of synthetic cannabinoids may increase one's disposition to psychosis[10], particularly in vulnerable individuals with risk factors for psychotic illnesses (like a past or family history of schizophrenia).[11][12][13]

Auditory effects

Combinational effects

Psychedelics - When used in combination with psychedelics, cannabinoids are capable of intensifying and extending the duration of both the visual and cognitive effects with extreme efficiency. This should be used with caution if one is not experienced with psychedelics.

Dissociatives - When used in combination with dissociatives, the geometry, euphoria, dissociation and hallucinatory effects are often greatly enhanced.

Alcohol - When used in combination with alcohol, cannabinoids can cause feelings of extreme nausea, dizziness and changes in gravity. It is recommended that people smoke before drinking and not the other way around unless they are extremely cautious.

Toxicity and harm potential

The toxicity and long-term health effects of recreational 5F-PB-22 use do not seem to have been studied in any scientific context and the exact toxic dosage is unknown. This is because 5F-PB-22 has very little history of human usage. Informal experiments have shown that overdose will cause physical discomfort including heart palpitations, vertigo and sedation at much lower than dangerous doses, usually causing the user to suffer large amounts of anxiety or to fall asleep.

There have been many hospital reports involving 5F-PB-22, as well as cases of post-mortem analysis involving 5F-PB-22.[14] Five deaths have been associated with the use of 5F-PB-22 in the United States.[15]

It has often been recommended that those with severe pre-existing mental conditions should not ingest these substances due to the way they strongly increase one's current state of mind and emotions. Also, like THC, prolonged usage of synthetic cannabinoids may increase one's disposition to mental illness and psychosis[16], particularly in vulnerable individuals with risk factors for psychotic illnesses (like a past or family history of schizophrenia).[17][18][19]

As synthetic cannabinoids are active in the milligram range (with below 5mg being a common dose), it is important to use proper precautions when dosing to avoid a negative experience.

Tolerance and addiction potential

As with other synthetic cannibanoids, the chronic use of 5F-PB-22 can be considered moderately addictive with a high potential for abuse and is capable of causing psychological dependence among certain users. When addiction has developed, cravings and withdrawal effects may occur if a person suddenly stops their usage.

Tolerance to many of the effects of 5F-PB-22 develops with prolonged and repeated use. This results in users having to administer increasingly large doses to achieve the same effects. After that, it takes about 3 - 7 days for the tolerance to be reduced to half and 1 - 2 weeks to be back at baseline (in the absence of further consumption). 5F-PB-22 presents cross-tolerance with all cannabinoids, meaning that after the consumption of 5F-PB-22 all cannabinoidss will have a reduced effect.

Legal issues

5F-PB-22 was developed to bypass drug prohibition laws which have banned the possession and sale of many synthetic cannabinoids. As such, it remains legal in most of the world.

United Kingdom - 5F-PB-22 is a class B drug under the third-generation synthetic cannabinoids generic definition, which came into effect on the 14th December 2016 and is illegal to possess, produce, supply, or import. [20]

United States - In January 2014, 5F-PB-22 was designated as a Schedule I controlled substance in the United States.[21]

Germany - On December 13, 2014 5F-PB-22 was added to the controlled substance act ("BtMG"), making it illegal to produce, sell or possess.[22]